7. Kiera

Chapter 7

Kiera

I’d never been so wet and miserable in my life.

The moment Aiden shut the door between us, I wanted to sink to a puddle on the floor and sleep for several days. Preferably in dry clothes, but I would take a dry blanket at this point. Something to simply cocoon myself in and forget the last few hours. Especially the worsening ache in my ribs.

Every time I drew breath, pain crackled through my torso. Vomiting what little food I had left in my stomach had nearly made me black out. Hopefully, Mynastra didn’t take offense to my putrid offering.

Ruru pattered around the dark room, turning up the oil lamp hanging from the ceiling and rummaging through a crate in the corner. A couple of hammocks were strung from the wooden posts that supported the ceiling. A wise forethought as the dirt floor pooled with water here and there, sinking beneath my boots. A wash basin stood in the corner. Two shelves high on the stone wall held a few tins.

“Whose place is this?” I asked, my voice a croak. My throat was ablaze with thirst, and my tongue felt furry.

“Aiden’s, I guess,” Ruru answered, still digging through the crate. “We just use it when we need to catch a wink or hold our cargo. Ah, here they are.” He proudly held up a brown, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of darker brown pants. “I figure some of my clothes would fit you best. Anything from Maz or Aiden would fall right off.” He grinned, and I grimaced my way into a smile.

“What cargo do you ship?” I asked, wringing out my soggy hair.

I glanced up when Ruru remained quiet. A frown creased his young face. “I’m not supposed to say.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy.

I shrug. “Then you shouldn’t. And I can’t take your clothes, Ruru. You’re soaked through. I’ll take a blanket, if you have it. Or something to dry myself with.”

He shook his head, his unkempt brown hair falling into his eyes. “I really don’t need these. I’m used to being out in all kinds of weather. Anyway, I have more clothes at the Old Quarter apartment.”

Aiden had two hideouts? If he had two, he could have more. To store more “cargo”? I prayed Ruru wouldn’t tell Aiden I’d asked about it.

Ruru’s eyes narrowed at me. “They’re clean, if that’s what you’re worried about. Sophie uses soap and everything.” He gave the shirt a sniff as if to make sure he was right. “Yep. She calls it lavender. That’s a flower.”

I suppressed a smirk. “I’ve heard of it. Well, if you insist, I would be deeply grateful.”

His thin shoulders straightened, and his voice deepened as if he were trying to show me the man he wanted to be one day. “I do insist.”

“That’s twice you’ve helped me then. Thank you, Ruru. For everything.”

Even in the pale light, I could see the crimson blush creeping up his smooth cheeks. Such a tender heart for one trailing along with the likes of Aiden and Maz. How long before that tenderness was beaten out of him by this life? I’d only been a few years older than him when it happened to me.

As he handed me the clothes, my stomach clenched. Where his left thumb should be was a mess of puckered flesh.

He followed my gaze. “Oh, a guard chopped that off about three years ago. Caught me stealing some sticky bread. That’s actually how I met Aiden.” He waggled his other thumb at me, flashing a thin white scar along the knuckle. “The guard almost got this one too when Aiden barreled into him out of nowhere and told me to run.”

I frowned. “And then he just took you in?”

“I work for him. He said I had skills he could use. Whatever errands he needs running, I do them faster and better than any kid in Aquinon. He pays the best, too.” He smiled, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Now, I can buy sticky bread whenever I want. As well as treats for the little ones at the orphanage I used to live at.”

Shrewd of Aiden to use a young, indebted boy to do his bidding. But for what errands? Did they have something to do with the cargo Ruru mentioned? Aiden sounded more like a merchant in need of funding rather than a rebel seeking gold for an army. But there was still the tricky matter of him disguising himself like a Shadow-Wolf and breaking into the Den. Down-on-their-luck merchants didn’t do that.

“Speaking of food,” Ruru rambled on, “would you like some crackers? Or dried fruit? My stomach’s flapping against my backbone. That’s what Maz always says.”

A weak chuckle escaped me. His cheerful chatter reminded me of Delysia. Gods, I wished I could’ve said goodbye. She was probably wrapped up with her lover in front of a warm fire, a platter of fresh food available at the tug of a bell cord. Or she’d already smuggled him out and was enjoying her sleep with a smile.

Be safe, little sister. May your dreams stay sweet.

“Kiera?”

I roused myself, blinking at Ruru. Gods, I needed sleep. “I’ll take a few crackers. My stomach feels like it’s inside out and wrapped around my backbone.” Ruru laughed. “But I should probably change first. Do you think they’ll be outside for a while?” I nodded toward the door. I couldn’t hear their voices over the rain, and I didn’t want to try with Ruru watching me.

“Could be. Maz probably wants to know what happened.” Ruru popped open a metal tin and shoved a cracker in his mouth. “What did happen in there? Did you see a Wolf? Did you get tortured? Did you have to kill anyone to escape?”

I sighed. Suddenly, I was less amused by his wagging tongue.

“Does that hurt?” he asked, pointing to his own cheek. I assumed he meant where Renwell had slashed me with my belt. It’d bled more than the scratch I’d received from Father’s ring.

“My face feels mostly numb now,” I admitted. A mercy that wouldn’t last. “I was a prisoner, like Aiden. I did see Shadow-Wolves. No, I didn’t kill anyone.”

But Maz and Aiden had. Between Aiden treading through a puddle of blood and him and Maz stabbing the other Wolf to death, I had more nightmares to add to my repertoire.

I wasn’t sure who I’d wanted to win between Aiden and the Wolf. Perhaps Aiden’s mysterious plot would’ve died with him. Or the Wolf would’ve simply pruned a branch from a flourishing tree of treason. But that thought wasn’t the first one I had as I watched the Wolf’s knife dive toward Aiden’s chest.

Loud chewing distracted me from my thoughts. Ruru’s wide eyes blinked at me like an owl’s. In my exhaustion, my emotions were probably written all over my face.

“How did Aiden get caught?” I asked nonchalantly as I dumped my borrowed clothes into the nearest hammock.

“Don’t know.” Ruru devoured another cracker. “Maz came to get me, saying we had to help Aiden. So here I am.” As if breaking a prisoner out of the Den was just another errand on his list.

What was it like to earn such loyalty? I didn’t have anyone who would rescue me from a prison. Renwell would’ve never let me inside one I couldn’t break out of. Everett and Delysia would probably send guards after me if I were in trouble. Father? He might’ve put me there in the first place—with no escape.

Mother... Mother wouldn’t have crossed Father if it was his doing—something I’d hated her for in my darkest moments. But she would’ve never left my side, as had been her way many times before when I was in trouble.

But now I had no one.

I leaned against the post, eyeing the laces on my boots. Gods, this was going to hurt. With Renwell’s blows peppering my rib cage and that damn jailer kicking me twice, my torso felt like a tree trunk someone had taken a dull axe to. The escape and retching over the side of the boat hadn’t helped, either.

Taking a deep breath, I bent over, reaching for the laces. Blinding pain seared through my ribs. I gritted my teeth. My fingers trembled as they tore out the knot. Steamy sweat gathered under my damp hair. Shadows purpled my vision until I yanked off the boot with a strangled curse. I slid down the post to sit in a heap on the ground.

“Kiera! What’s wrong?” Ruru rushed to crouch beside me, the cracker tin still clutched in his fist.

I tipped my head back, trying to steady my breathing. “I think that bastard hit me harder than I thought.”

“Who? A Wolf?”

No, my mentor.

“I’ll be fine,” I muttered. “Just give me a moment. Is there any water to drink?”

Ruru hurried over to the crate and uncorked a bottle from within. “It might taste a little stale, but it’s good.”

I would’ve thrust my head into the waterfall if it meant quenching my thirst. He passed it to me, and I drank deeply, the cool water easing the fire in my throat and chest, even trickling over my ribs. After taking another gulp, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and offered it to Ruru. He traded me a cracker.

The dry bread with a hint of salt nearly sucked all the water back out of my mouth, but my stomach growled in appreciation.

The door banged open, and I struggled to my feet, trying not to flinch. Aiden and Maz crowded into the small room. Maz jammed the uneven door closed as Aiden’s eyes immediately fell to me.

“What were you doing on the floor?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to tell him I was merely resting, but Ruru spoke faster. “Some bastard beat her pretty good.”

Aiden’s dark eyebrows lowered like a storm cloud. “You said you weren’t hurt.”

“I said I would live,” I muttered. Louder, I added, “I didn’t slow you down, did I? That’s what counts.”

Aiden breathed heavily through his nostrils, as if he were straining to control his patience. Maz walked past him, casting a sly glance between us.

I folded my arms over my chest, trying to keep from shivering. Whether it was from my damp clothing, or the chilly gaze Aiden swept over me, I couldn’t say. His eyes held fast to my discarded boot. Without a word, he knelt in front of me and beckoned. “Give me your other boot.”

I blinked, not sure I heard him correctly. “Excuse me?” This was ridiculous.

His bright green eyes stared up at me, and I forgot how to breathe. Water droplets slipped from his hair, over his flexing throat, to escape down his chest.

“Unless you want to injure yourself further, give me your boot.”

My leg shifted of its own accord and planted my boot heel in his palm. With gentleness I hadn’t thought possible from someone who had savagely murdered two Wolves barefoot , Aiden pulled apart my laces and worked my boot off.

Heat trembled in my stomach. For only a moment. As soon as my toes were clear, I pulled my foot away from him. “I’m not helpless,” I snarled, but the words lacked bite.

He tossed the boot aside and rose to his feet in a heartbeat. “Helpless is better than foolish.”

“Good thing I’m neither.”

His jaw flexed, and he walked away. Maz tossed him a dry shirt, having already plucked one out for himself. Ruru was back to scrounging through the food tins. Aiden tugged on the shirt, giving me only the smallest glimpse of the strange markings on his back.

My nose scrunched in frustration. I desperately wanted to see what they were, but the likelihood of catching him shirtless again would be slim. Hopefully.

Maz stripped off his wet shirt, and I gasped. Intricate patterns and symbols in dark ink coated his muscular body as if his skin were a canvas or a page in a book.

Maz’s eyebrows lifted. “See something you like, lovely?”

I ignored his flirtatious tone. “You’re a Dag.”

“Have you never seen one of us before?” He did a slow turn for me under the light. The image of a mountain took up most of his back with many other symbols woven around it. A tangle of scars marked his left shoulder, similar to Aiden. Had they been scarred by the same thing or same person?

“No.” I’d never stepped foot out of Aquinon. The Dags were our closest neighbors—if that was a term one could use for people who raided our border as they pleased. I wracked my brain, trying to remember if they were even allowed passage in Rellmira anymore.

“Then I’m glad to be your first,” Maz said, his smile strained for the first time. “And may I say I’m an excellent representation of my people.”

“All Dags have tattoos? Why?”

Maz traced a long tree tattoo on his forearm. “We believe that stitching our stories into skin helps the gods find our souls when our bodies are burned in death. The more stories you’ve lived, the more your soul has to show the gods.”

A strangely fascinating tradition. Was that what Aiden had on his back? A story to cover the scar they shared? I glanced at him, but he busied himself by tucking his shirt into his pants.

“Is it... safe for you here?” I asked Maz.

His huge shoulders hunched. “As long as I keep my hair cut and my skin covered, no one much notices.” He pulled on a long-sleeved shirt, then ran a hand through his blond hair. “You should see me with my grown hair and braids, like a true Dag warrior,” he said wistfully.

Why not go home then? I almost asked, but decided against it, seeing the scowl on Aiden’s face.

“What will your next tattoo depict?” I asked instead.

Maz’s grin came back in full force. “My lost axe. A tragic sacrifice for a heroic rescue.”

I winced, the explosion of metal ringing in my memory. Renwell never told me sunstone knives could do that .

“I want one too!” Ruru piped up. “But can I have a bolt of lightning or something?”

Maz smirked and ruffled Ruru’s hair. “You’d have to come with me to Dagriel to find a stitcher first.”

I glanced over to see Aiden watching me. Did he think I would run for the nearest guard and tell him all about Maz?

Lifting my chin, I announced, “I think I’d like a key.”

Aiden quirked an eyebrow. “In memory of your thievery? Interesting.”

“Or in memory of a moment of pity,” I retorted.

His face darkened. “A regrettable moment, surely.”

For him or for me? Gods damn it, what was I doing? I was supposed to be earning his favor, wheedling my way into his life and his secrets. Not antagonizing him.

“I don’t regret it,” I said softly, rubbing my sore wrists. His must feel the same. I swallowed my anger and pride like a poison. “You were right. My plan to escape would’ve failed. I owe the three of you my life.”

Aiden looked away as if my gratitude made him uncomfortable, but Maz beamed. “You saved us valuable time with your little stolen key, lovely.”

I bared my teeth in a smile. “Ah, yes, my thievery. If it weren’t for my sleight of hand, Aiden might not have protected me from the jailer. Which I also thank you for,” I added, glancing at Aiden.

His eyes met mine, hard and glittering. “I didn’t know you had the key until I saw you shove it in your mouth after I pulled you behind me.”

Lies , I wanted to scoff back. The poison bubbled in the back of my throat. No one put themselves in harm’s way without wanting something back. He’d wanted to release the other prisoners. He’d saved Ruru from further maiming. He’d helped rescue me.

But there was always a further goal beyond a noble deed. Even if it was to simply assuage a guilty conscience.

Silence leaked through the room like water from the storm while Aiden and I glared at each other. Why was he making it so gods-damn hard to be friendly?

Finally, Maz cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should rest a bit, eh? Ruru, you’d best change your clothes.”

“I gave them to Kiera.”

“I told him he didn’t have to,” I said quickly.

Maz waved me off. “No matter. Can you dress yourself?”

Aiden’s face went stony while mine flamed. “Yes,” I snapped.

Maz chuckled. “Pity. How about everyone turns around, yes? Pick a wall to stare at and mind your own business.”

I waited until the three of them faced away before I turned my back to them. Wriggling out of my wet clothes was a bit easier than my boots, but I was panting and sweating again by the time I was done.

“How’s it coming, Kiera?” Maz called out.

“Got any more of that sleeping poison?” I grumbled.

Maz laughed, but it was Aiden who answered. “I have something that will help.”

My stomach flipped over. “I’m dressed now.”

We all turned around at the same time.

I frowned at Maz and Aiden. “You aren’t going to change your pants?”

“Nah, we’ll sleep without them,” Maz said.

My eyebrows shot up.

His smile turned playful. “What, do you sleep fully clothed, princess?”

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped. Gods, that was the last nickname I needed. “As a bodyguard, I had to be ready at a moment’s notice. So, no, not a lot of time for lounging in bed naked.”

“Well, now’s your chance?—”

“Enough, Mazkull.” Aiden’s voice lashed like a whip. “You forget.”

Instead of arguing, Maz glanced at him, and they had a strange, wordless conversation between themselves. Something I’d been able to do with my brother and sister when we were younger.

Maz abruptly nodded, facing me again. “You’re right. Forgive me, Kiera. That was brutish of me, considering what you’ve been through.”

Aiden must have told him the story about Julian. I waved away his apology. “Nothing to forgive. I... I think I just need to rest.” And not say anything else I’d regret.

“Of course,” Maz said quickly. “Take one of the hammocks.”

Aiden stepped closer to me. “First, let me check your ribs.”

I wrapped my arm protectively around them. “No.”

“I need to make sure they aren’t cracked.”

“Let him, Kiera,” Ruru spoke up from the corner where he’d made a nest of blankets to curl up in. “He knows healing.”

“Learned from the best.” Maz slapped Aiden on the back, clearly forgetting Aiden’s wounds until Aiden winced. “Fucking Four, sorry, brother.”

“See?” I said, pointing at Aiden. “You need to take care of yourself first.”

A muscle pulsed in his jaw. “Have you ever had to heal cracked ribs?”

I pursed my lips. No. I doubted they were little more than bruised from what my probing fingers could tell. But he might leave me behind if he thought they were worse.

“Fine,” I agreed, not meeting his gaze.

Never let an enemy see how wounded you are.

But an ally would, and that was what I needed Aiden to think we were.

His next words sent a tremor through my body: “Lie down.”